Judges 9-12
Legacy
I doubt that when Gideon had an affair with the harlot from the Canaanite city of Shechem that he expected her to get pregnant and have a son. I expect he thought it would just be a one night stand that meant nothing to him but in reality it turned out to be much more.
We read in Chapter 9 that this son, Abimelech, related more to his mother’s side of the family than his dad’s. I doubt that Gideon thought that Abimelech relating to his mother’s family would result in the murder of all Gideon’s other sons except one, but that is what happened. I doubt that Gideon thought that Abimelech would rise to power and become king of Shechem and rule over Israel for three years, but that is what he did.
I wonder if Gideon ever considered what kind of legacy he was leaving to his sons, especially Abimelech. Abimelech will go on one more rampage and kill the people of Shechem, the city he was king over, before he is killed in an attack on another city. He left in his wake a lot of destruction and harm.
Abimelech destroyed that which he had gained in life. In reality, so did Gideon through the legacy he left.
It is important that we consider what kind of legacy we are leaving to those who follow after us. Gideon did deliver Israel from the power of Midian but his desire for gold and pleasure led Israel astray. That is always the way with the temptation to sin. It may seem a small harmless thing we are tempted to do and we may think it will only affect us and no one else, but we need to think again. In this case, the effects of Gideon’s sin affected generations of people. The harm was more than one could have imagined. It didn’t just affect Gideon, but also his family and the nation.
The temptation to sin doesn’t come with a warning, it comes wrapped up in an appealing package with a label that says, “Act Now.”
In Hebrews 11:24&25 we read that Moses could have benefited from being known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, but rather than live the lie, he chose to endure the difficulties the people of God were facing as slaves, rather than “…enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.” Hebrews 11:25 NASB
Maybe Moses could have gotten away with it. Or maybe Moses was born , “…for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14. NIV
What if God had to raise up someone else to deliver Israel out of slavery from Egypt. What would have happened if Moses was considered the first born of Pharaoh’s daughter?
God has a plan for us. Somebody is watching us and somebody is following us. What kind of legacy are we leaving them?
Pastor Dave